Two-time world boxing champ Amir Khan showers praise on Vijender Singh , says it will be a dream match for India and Pakistan if the two slug it out in the ring.

He is merciless on the opponents inside the ring and draws inspiration from the Merciful God when he looks at the crises around the world.

Amir Khan, 2004 Olympic silver medallist in lightweight category, knows exactly when to tame his heart and when to unleash it.

Besides working on the titles — two-time light-welterweight world champion — the boxer from Britain pulls no punches when you sit down to talk to him.

From helping Syrian refugees in Lesbos, Greece, to providing homes to orphans in Gambia, Amir Khan is going about initiating events like Super Fight League. One thing that he truly believes in is, “boxing is business”.

Yesterday, he was in Mumbai to promote the SBL, scheduled to begin on July 7. In a interview with Mirror, Amir spoke about fighting Vijender Singh, Manny Pacquiao, the hype and money in the world of boxing. Excerpts from the interview:

Why India for Super Boxing League? Bill Dosanjh (co-promoter) and I have an event called Super Fight League (SFL). I saw the amount of people that had tuned in to watch that event. Boxing is a sport that everyone loves — from Muhammad Ali days to George Foreman to Mike Tyson. The sport is so big in India that a movie was made on Mary Kom. I thought we should do a boxing league, and that’s how SBL came in.

How different will boxing be in SBL? In the league, it’s not going to be just A fighting B. We are going to people behind their cities. For example, Mumbai vs Delhi and I think that’s what gives crowd the excitement. It’s also going to be a point system where a knockout is going earn most points. So say a team is down by five points and you need a knockout to win, you can get knocked out yourself. You are bound to make mistakes and I have seen that happen. Also India is a country that’s developing so fast in sports, especially boxing.

Do you think boxing is on the rise? We see boxing stars rise in India more than we see in Mixed Martial Arts. I say that because boxing is a sport that has been around for long time. Look at Vijender Singh, Mary Kom, this shows how big boxing is.

Is your fight with Manny Pacquiao possible? I think it’s possible and I’d love to have that fight. I am my own boss, so if I say I want to fight somebody I can fight that person. If someone wants to fight me I say yes, I’ve never turned down a fight. But it seems to me that Manny has a boss to answer to. Manny is a friend of mine, we trained together for five years. It’s time that people see us both fight. Manny and I are similar fighters — although I am orthodox and he’s a southpaw — but it’s going to be a very technical fight. I think it’s about time the crown is passed on from an old guy to the younger generation. He’s a veteran and a champion for so many years now and there’s a young champion who has come to take over.

What about fight with Vijender, will it be bigger than that — in terms of popularity, hype and money? In hype it could be, in finances I don’t know. For Pacquiao-Amir fight, American TV would pay good money. While me and Vijender — we won’t get that market as much apart from the Indian and Pakistani fan base. India and Pakistan are not the best of friends, but the best way to sort the problem out is in the ring. Every Pakistani and every Indian around the world would want to watch us fight. They’d be on the edge of their seats. It’ll be a great fight. I respect what Vijender has done to the game and what he has done for boxing in India. He’s definitely taken boxing to a different level. I respect fighters when they leave their home, like he has moved to England, to train because he wants to be the best.

Do you think there is, at least, an exhibition bout between Amir and Vijender before the SBL? Sometimes exhibition can get a little dangerous. You can never set up an exhibition match in boxing, because if someone hits you the adrenaline kicks in. The fight between me and Vijender is going to be huge. The fight from my side is a possibility — from Vijender’s I don’t know. Like I said, I am my own boss, but Vijender has bosses to answer to.

Do you think MMA and boxing could integrate? MMA champ Conor McGregor wants to fight Floyd Mayweather. There are talks he wants to fight me too. Conor is working hard on his upper body. He might be good at boxing because when you are training as an MMA fighter you have to work on different disciplines — grappling, floor, kicking and the holding. But when you are boxing the focus is only on only punching and defending. May be he’s good. I think he needs to tune himself before he fights someone big.

Is it huge money involved that is making McGregor and Mayweather fight so big? Look, boxing is business. A fight between McGregor and Mayweather will generate $100, $200 or $300 million. You are bringing two big names in two different sports together. It’s good for the sport and good for the two fighters because they are making good money. If it’s going to happen? I don’t know.

Views on Anthony Joshua and Vladimir Klitschko fight… Joshua was junior to me when I was in the senior camp. I have watched him train. He dreamt to be the best. At the 2012 London Olympics, I was there and commentating on his fight. He won the gold and I had said this guy will go a long way because he’s got the physique, he looks good. When people want to see good boxers they want to see big muscles and he has that. When Joshua went down in the fifth round everyone said it was too early for him, even I thought it was too early for him. But he surprised us all and knocked him out. Fights like these are good for boxing, especially when you have sports like MMA competing with you.

When do we see Amir Khan’s next bout? I was going to fight end of April. Ramzan only comes once a year and I want to make sure I commit myself to my religion, so I want to be back in the ring after Ramzan. I am past the easy fights, because I am at an age and peak of my career so I want big fights only.

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